Southampton travel guide

Southampton
St Mary's Stadium
FA Cup Round 3
Sunday January 4, kick off 4pm

Tickets
Out of a 32,689-capacity stadium, United got 4,700 tickets.

They cost £30 for adults, £20 for over 65s and for students and £15 for under 16s

All of them have been sold and have been posted out.

Though it's sold out, a fair few spare tickets should be available in pubs around the ground on match day and on United message boards beforehand.

TV
The match will be shown live on Setanta Sports at 4pm and the programme begins at 3pm.

Travel

We recommend: If you can't drive or get a lift, take the official coach down. It might take five hours, but £30 is pretty good compared to the extortionate train fare. But if you are going by train, go back from St Denys station.

Car - £52.22

If you're looking for road directions to the ground using a Sat Nav or a routeplanner, use the postcode SO14 5FP.

The journey takes about four hours and is 236 miles each way, costing £26.11 in petrol, plus £8 if you choose to go on the M6 toll road.

Parking wise, it's similar to Stoke:
There is hardly any parking at the ground. It is recommended that you buy a parking ticket from Southampton in advance by calling 0845 688 9288.

There are no places to park for free near the ground and your car will get towed/a ticket if you park illegally.

You can park in a paid-for car park in Southampton city centre. It will typically cost £5 and it's a 20-minute walk to the ground. Be warned though, you'll spend about an hour getting to the motorway after the game from here.

The best spot to park in is the Marina, which again costs £5, has pubs and food places and is a 10-minute walk to the ground. It's much quicker to reach the motorway from here.

If you get off the M27 at Junction 8, you can either use the free park-and-ride away fans' buses clearly signposted opposite a Tesco supermarket that take you right to the ground.

Or you can get off at the same junction and follow the A3025 to Woolston on the other side of the Itchen Toll Bridge.

There are free parking spots there and it's a 20-minute walk to the stadium

Train - £88.70

There is one direct train to Southampton. The rest are indirect and one delay and you could well be missing the match, but there is a perfectly timed direct train back.

You're looking at a five-hour journey time typically though.

All one-way services cost £44.35. Ask for an off-peak single.

Manchester Piccadilly to Southampton Central

Option 1

Leave Manchester: 08:27

Arrive Southampton: 13: 42

Option 2

Leave Manchester: 08:27

Arrive Reading: 11:40

Leave Reading: 11:50 THIS IS A BUS SERVICE

Arrive Winchester: 13:04

Leave Winchester: 13:11 Arrive Southampton: 13: 36

Option 3
Leave Manchester: 09:20
Arrive London Euston: 12:07
Leave London Euston: 12:07 THIS IS A TUBE SERVICE
Arrive London Victoria: 12:30
Leave London Victoria: 12:47
Arrive Clapham Junction: 12:52
Leave Clapham Junction: 13:03
Arrive Southampton: 15:01

Option 4
Leave Manchester: 09:27
Arrive Birmingham New Street: 10:58
Leave Birmingham New Street: 11:12
Arrive Bristol Temple Meads: 12:37
Leave Bristol Temple Meads 13:10
Arrive Southampton: 15:20

From the station, it's a 30-minute walk to the ground, though there is a shuttle bus that leaves from outside the station.

To walk, turn left out of the station' s southern entrance and walk up Western Esplanade, which becomes Civic Centre Road.

Remain on the Civic Centre Road and walk between the Civic Centre and the Marlands Shopping Centre.

Eventually a crossroads is reached with the Nationwide Building Society on one corner and Lloyds Bank on another.

Cross into New Road and follow this road across a park and past a college. Eventually you will reach a complex road junction with a number of traffic lights.

Cross Kings Way into Northam Road and follow this road for quarter of a mile until you reach the ground on your right.

Southampton Central to Manchester Piccadilly

Option 1
Leave Southampton: 18:25
Arrive Basingstoke: 18:58
Leave Basingstoke: 19:07
Arrive Reading: 19:30
Leave Reading: 19:40
Arrive Birmingham New Street: 21:20
Leave Birmingham New Street: 21:38
Arrive Manchester: 23:13

Option 2
Leave Southampton: 19:15
Arrive Manchester: 23:40

Option 3
Leave Southampton: 20:15
Arrive Coventry: 22:22
Leave Coventry: 22:51
Arrive Rugby: 23:03
Leave Rugby: 23:19
Arrive Manchester: 00:58

St Deny's station is a 20-minute walk from the ground. It won't give you a better way to the stadium than the ones above, but it will give you a decent way back away from the crowds.

Option 1
Leave St Deny's: 18:04
Arrive Southampton Airport Parkway: 18:09
Leave Southampton Airport Parkway: 18:22
Arrive Manchester: 22:40

Option 2
Leave St Deny's: 19:04
Arrive Southampton Airport Parkway: 19:09
Leave Southampton Airport Parkway: 19:22
Arrive Manchester: 23:40

From the stadium to St Deny's station
It's a 25-minute walk. From the North Stand. go through the underpass which brings you out onto Radcliffe Road.

Pass the mosque and the road changes into Mount Pleasant Road. Turn right into Dukes Road and keep walking past the industrial units and Mount Pleasant School.

Turn right onto Dukes Road and go over the Horshoe Bridge which goes over the railway line. Pass the Junction inn and the South Western Arms Pub and you'll reach the station.

Official coach - £30
The club is running coaches leaving from the W2 car park at Old Trafford at 9.30am and is due to return by 11pm. Places cost £30 per person. Book here.

Public coach - £62.50
National Express runs services from Manchester to Southampton with a change in Birmingham, but you're looking at a journey of more than eight hours each way. It costs £62.50 return.

Leave Chorlton Street: 07:15
Arrive Birmingham: 10:10
Leave Birmingham: 11:15
Arrive Southampton Coach Station: 15:20

Leave Southampton Coach Station: 18:15
Arrive London: 20:50
Leave London: 22:30
Arrive Chorlton Street: 02:30

There are no Megabus services that fit in with the match.

Plane - £200
You can fly direct from Manchester to Southampton and back on flybe. There are flights there on the day of the game, but you can only fly back the day after.

Manchester to Southampton
Sunday
Leave: 14:00
Arrive: 15:00
One-way price: £85.64

You can get a train from Southampton Airport Parkway to St Deny's, which takes six minutes.

Southampton to Manchester
Monday
Leave: 06:50
Arrive: 08:00
One-way price: £113.34

Leave: 08:30
Arrive: 09:35
One-way price: £96.24

Leave: 11:10
Arrive: 12:10
One-way price: £75.34

Leave: 15:25
Arrive: 16.30
One-way price: £75.34